Loudon Wainwright III - Words and Music - 2012

Loudon Wainwright III had just settled into WFUV's Studio A when a heavy light came crashing down, inches from his head. Some artists might be rightfully spooked, but Loudon smiled, made a lawsuit joke and moved on. After all, this is the man who just wrote a whole record about mortality: Older than My Old Man Now.

For the record, Wainwright looks terrific (not just "great for his age"). He sports a snazzy hat, cuts a jaunty figure and his eyes still twinkle. Perhaps part of his glee comes from the way some people cringe when he sings with relish about "death 'n' decay." The subject has never been in better - and more brutal - hands. [recorded: 04/11/12]